[Sca-cooks] Clogs, stock and ancient French chefs, was Re: Roux and file'

[Gorgeous Muiredach]

At 10:01 AM 12/4/2002 -0700, you wrote:
>*blink, blink* Pretty please, with extra biscotti for you and a Dog
>Biscuit for your Faithful Companion?

Ok Maire, that was nicely asked! :-)

I was working in a private club, as an apprentice, fresh out of cooking
school.  The chef was, as I said in the other note, at least 247 years
old.  Short guy, thin, wirey, really.  Quite a character.  He used to say:
"Un poisson sans arrete, c'est comme une putain sans cul",  (A fish without
bones is like a hore without an ass) and hence refused to serve any kind of
filetted fish!  We cooked by Escoffier and Le Repertoire de la cuisine.

It was a rather wonderful learning experience.  I learned a lot about my
classics, and I also learned about how NOT to do things.

Chef was prompt to lash out with his tongue.  Chef was never wrong, of
course.  Once, the other apprentice was about to take a pate en croute out
of the oven, cuz the top was getting dangerously brown, but Chef told him
that he hadn't told him to take it out and to leave it.  Of course, 15
minutes later, Chef freaked because the pate was still in the oven, with
the crust burned!!!

Chef was prompt to get angry, prompt to cool down too.  When he'd get
*really* going, he'd swing his foot in a kicking gesture, and his clog
would go flying, hitting wall or man, it mattered not.  One day, he had a
rage fit, and his clog flew at me and hit me behind the thigh.  He was
raving about something or other, unrelated to anything happening at the
time in the kitchen.

I didn't even think.  I bend down, picked the clog up, took a few steps to
the row of steam kettles, and put the clog in the stock that I was
preparing.  Took the paddle, and made sure to sink the clog way down in the
mixture of bones and stuff...

The look on Chef's face was precious.  He was too incredulous to be
angry.  I took my apron off, packed up my knives and left (it was a prep
day, not one where we served anyone).  I went home, fully expecting to be
fired.  but not having received a call, i showed up the following day in
time for work.  Chef didn't say a word, but was sporting brand new clogs.

Chef started working with me closely, showing me all kind of tricks and
ways he'd learned.  Stuff he wasn't showing to even his cooks.  Talked with
him about it, he said I was the first apprentice he'd ever had who had
stood up to him, and he respected that and it showed attitude...    <shrug>

Abuse is abuse is abuse.  he was abusive.  But he taught me a lot
nonetheless...

That's the story.


Gorgeous Muiredach the Odd
Clan of Odds
Shire of Forthcastle, Meridies
mka Nicolas Steenhout
"You must deal with me as I think of myself" - J. Hockenberry